1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle suspension systems that have an integrated shock mount and jounce bumper and a method of making the same.
2. Background Art
Wheel suspensions of vehicles generally include a mounting assembly for a shock absorber that is secured to a chassis or frame of the vehicle. A piston rod of the shock absorber extends from the wheel suspension to the mounting structure. Rubber or elastomeric isolators are generally separately formed and assembled together as part of the mounting assembly. Generally one insulator is assembled to abut the support structure and surrounds the piston rod. A jounce bumper is generally assembled about the piston rod to isolate high amplitude movements of the wheel suspension system. Insulators and jounce bumpers are generally separately formed of an elastomeric material.
A shock absorber mount and jounce bumper assembly are normally separately formed and assembled together as a subassembly prior to attaching the assembly to a car in a vehicle assembly plant. Assembling the parts of the shock mount and jounce bumper assembly requires substantial direct labor costs. Vehicle shock absorber mounts and jounce bumpers are fairly complex and require assembly of multiple parts.
It is generally an objective in vehicle design to reduce the number of parts, or part count, that are required to provide a desired vehicle function. Manufacturing and inventory costs may be reduced by reducing part counts.
There is a need for an integrated vehicle shock absorber mount and jounce bumper that reduces the cost, complexity and part count.